Rail-joint.



E. H. SILEl/k).Y

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICAMON FILED JUN1315-1911.

l ZGS l 5? i atented Mar. 12, i912.

l'i-State of Michigan, have a new and useful Improvements in ELISHA H. SHEPARD, 0F BO CONRAD AND AN YNE CITY, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO ISAAC N.

NETTE C. CONRAD, OF IBOYNE CITY, MICHIGAN.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 12, 19.12.

Application tiled '.Tune 15, 1911. Serial No. $33,269.

'To all iuliom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, EiiisiiA H. Sirerwim. :i citizen of the United States, residing at Boyne City, in the. county of Charlevoix and invented certain lJointsLof which the following is a specification.

- This invention relates to particularly to i the meeting ends of railway rail-joints, and

fastening devices for uniting rails, the object of the invention being to provide simple, cheap and effective means for use in place of the ordinary bolts and nuts and in con-- fish-plates, j -whereby firmly and nection with ordinary the rails may be quickly, joined in such manner as to pension and contraction of at the same ,securely permit free cX- the rails, while time admitting of their ready and'convenient disconnection when occasion requires.

A further object of the invention is to provide' fasteners which facilitate the connection and disconnection of the rails and which cannotpossihly become casually detached in service.

The invention consists of construction,

the features of combination and arrangement of parts, hereintfter fully described and claimed, reference` being had to the aeeoni- ,panying drawings, in which Figure l. is aV view in side meeting ends of two ed by my improved fastening means. 2 is a top plan vien7 of vthe same.v

transverse section taken in the a horizontal elevation of the adjoining rails connect- F ig.

rigen plane of the fastening means, indicating in dotted lines one of the locking cams in position for locking action 'or release. Figs. 4, 5

and G are views of the bolt,

cam and spring of one of the sets of fasteners.

Referring to the drawings, l and 2. designate the meeting ends of adjoining rails, and 3 and et fish-plates of ordinary construction,

bearing against opposite sides ofthe wehs ot' the rails, the webs and fish-plates being provided With the usual elongated openings tor the passage of the fasteningde'olts.

Arranged to hear againsttlie outer tishplate' It plates 5, opening 6. rail webs, plates pass flzt rectangular body or sh are longitudinally E'ish plates and .olts or keys 7,

bowed spring each n'ovided with an elongated I `l Il'u'ougli the openings in the bowed spring each having a ank adapted lo openings.

slide longitudinally in the openings vto permit expansion and retraction of the joint, while held from turning movement in the Each key or bolt is formed at one end with a head S hearing against the inner fish-plate 3, and has a hooked outer end 9 projecting beyond the outer fish-plate 4, the bill of the hool: extending laterally from the bolt substantially parallel with the line' of the rails. ,Engaging the hooked ends of each bolt is a cam latch or locking device l0, said device comprising a longitudinally tapered body having a substantially dat outer side 11 and a. curved `nner side 12, the latter being adapted to bca-r upon the convex face of the associated spring plate 5 when the said locking'device is in locking position. The outer or reduced end 13 ot the locking de vice -forms a handle or .manipulating portion,

and at its inner end said device is provided with a cross piece or journal 14, of substantially cylindrical form to pivotally engage the hook 9 of the locking bolt. The cain is provided with a slot l5 for the reception and passage of the hook, and is formed on .opposite faqes'of the holt when the. cam is applied, to facilitate the application of the cain to the bolt.

After eatih holt ispasscd through the rails and ish-plites. the bowed spring plate '5 is tilted upon the hooked end of the bolt so that itsronrave sui-tace faces the fish-plate l and said spring plate hears terminally on .said fish-plate .The ouin locking device is then arranged in thi` position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5l and brought into engagement with the hooked end of the bolt, so that the hill of the hook projects into the slot 1?, while the sui-tace l? of the cam rests upon the spring plate. flhe cam is' then turned by means eta suitable implement to the full line position shown in the drawing, iu which it. lies parallel with the rails, and its cani surfaces' engage and compress the spring plate to a nearly flattened position, whereby the holt is drawn to clamp the parts tightly together and the cam locking ies that. a yielding act-ionis afforded which tends to take up at all times any slight looseness of parts which ma;r possibly exist from Wear or other causes. As the openings in the rails, fishplates and spring plates are of a form to loosely1 receive the Shanks of the bolts, free expansion and contraction, and a necessary adjustment of the parts, is permitted to compensate for climatic changes. By inserting a pinch bar or like tool down between the spring plate and portion 13 of .the cam, the latter may be forced out- Wai-dl)T to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 3, to permit of its removal, Whenever it is necessary to disconnect the rails for repairs or othe'r pn ioses. It will be seen that by means of the etaehable, pivotal connection between the hooked bolts andlocking cams, the foregoing advantages are atorded,

ott' before the'rails ,overcoming an objection thus making the locking devices easy to remove even when the parts are rusted, thus to the use oford nary bolts and nuts, which must often becutcan be disconnected.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is:

l. A rail fastener comprising a bolthav-- ing a hooked` end, and a cam having a de tachable, pivotal connection with the hooked end of the bolt.

2. A rail fastening comprising a 4bolt having a hooked end, and a locking cam formed .and compressingr the spring with .a slot to receive the bill of the hook, and a journal to engage the recess of the hook, and provided with cam surfaces to bind against the fish-plate and draw the bolt into t-he.clamping position.

3. The combination With rails and fishplates having openings therein, of bolts passing through said openings and having hooked ends, locking cams having a detach able pivotal connection With the hooked ends of the bolts. A

4. The combination with rails and fishplates having openingstherein, of bolts pass! ing through said openings and having hooked ends, bowed spring plates fitted the hooked ends of the bolts and engaging the adjacent islrplate, and locking 'cams having a detachable pivotal connection with the hooked ends of the bolts and bearing upon said spring plates.

5. The combination with rails and lishplates having openings there'in, of bolts passing through said openings and having hooked ends, bowed spring plates fitted upon the hooked ends of the bolts and bearing against the adjacentish-plate, and cam devices having slots to'receive the bills of the hooks and journals to engage and seat within the recesses of the hooks, whereby said cam vdevices are detachably and pivotally connected with the hooks, said cam devicesbeing provided with cam surfaces binding' upon plates to hold the parts connected.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ELISHA H. SHEPARD. Witnesses: j

J. L. Eiesraozvr,

A. CADWELL. 

